{"id":4404,"date":"2016-04-04T08:47:30","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T13:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/accounting-forms-and-contracts.html"},"modified":"2025-02-04T12:57:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T17:57:23","slug":"accounting-forms-and-contracts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/accounting-forms-and-contracts.html","title":{"rendered":"Accounting Forms and Contracts for Business Owners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"fl-sectionWithSidebar fl-container fl-flex fl-flex-wrap fl-gap30  wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 fl-sectionWithSidebar fl-container fl-flex fl-flex-wrap fl-gap30\">\n    \n    <div class=\"fl-section-main fl-page-articles fl-section-main fl-section-main-full-width\">\n        <h1 class=\"fl-no-margin-top\">Accounting Forms and Contracts for Business Owners<\/h1>\n<section class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline\">\n    <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-content\">\n                    By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/christie-nicholson-j-d\/\">Christie Nicholson, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by <a\n                href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/amber-sheppard-esq\/\">Amber Sheppard, Esq.<\/a>\n                | Last updated\n        <time>\n                            February 04, 2025\n                    <\/time>\n    <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-editorial-note fl-text-sm\">\n            <p>Editorial Note: We earn a commission from affiliate partner links on FindLaw. Commissions do not affect the editorial integrity of our legal content.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-legally-reviewed\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Legally Reviewed\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\">FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/company-history\/editorial-policy.html\">our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-fast-checked\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Fact-Checked\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/contributing-authors.html\">contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/?fli=bylinelink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n<\/section>\n<p>If you&#8217;re a small business owner, you know how frustrating it can be to fill out forms and maintain records. Unfortunately, it&#8217;s necessary if you want your business to succeed. If you&#8217;re lucky, you have a full-time bookkeeping assistant or have an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/business-accounting.html\">accounting firm<\/a> on retainer. But, if you don&#8217;t have the budget for external accounting services, you need to find whatever shortcuts you can.<\/p>\r\n<p>Here, we&#8217;ll explain what forms you need to maintain your business and follow state and federal regulations. We will also offer sample forms you can use, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-contracts-forms\/contract-law.html\">contracts<\/a>, financial records, and a solid business plan. This section contains other pertinent forms, including loan and credit agreements, debt collection, and profit and loss statements.<\/p>\r\n<p>If you have questions about your accounting matters, consult a licensed,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/legalblogs\/law-and-life\/when-to-hire-a-tax-lawyer-vs-a-cpa\/\">certified public accountant<\/a> (CPA) or&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/business-commercial-law?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">business attorney<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Business Banking and Securities<\/h2>\r\n<p>Regardless of the size of your business, you must maintain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/the-basics-of-accounting-for-small-businesses.html\">accurate and updated financial reporting<\/a>. Not only will you need updated financials for your tax filings, but you&#8217;ll also need to keep investors, shareholders, and other stakeholders abreast of your company&#8217;s financial health.<\/p>\r\n<p>You&#8217;ll need various forms to run a compliant and profitable business. These include:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/reading-a-balance-sheet.html\">Balance sheets<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/starting-a-business\/sample-estimate-of-start-up-costs.html\">Start-Up Costs Estimates<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/starting-a-business\/sample-profit-and-loss-statement.html\">Profit and Loss statements<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/business-banking-and-securities-forms.html\">Business Banking and Securities Forms<\/a> for links to other helpful forms. You can also search online for templates for other documents and reports for larger businesses, such as cash flow statements and shareholder equity statements.<\/p>\r\n<h2><b>Finance and Banking Resources<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<p>Whether you&#8217;re a government contractor, run a non-profit, or work from home running a small business, you&#8217;ll need <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/starting-a-business\/tips-for-business-loans.html\">funding<\/a> at some point. You&#8217;ll likely need a start-up loan if you&#8217;re opening a new business. Even if your business has been open for years, you&#8217;ll likely need to infuse cash into your company at certain points.<\/p>\r\n<h3>Applying for a Business Loan<\/h3>\r\n<p>Before you apply for a bank loan or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/starting-a-business\/applying-for-a-loan-do-s-and-don-ts.html\">small business (SBA) loan<\/a>, you&#8217;ll need to know where your company stands financially. Any lender you approach for a procurement loan will want to see your financial statements. The lender will want to see your accounts receivable statements, your cash-flow statements, and other financial documents.<\/p>\r\n<p>The good news is that you don&#8217;t need a bachelor&#8217;s degree in accounting to create these forms. You don&#8217;t necessarily even need accounting experience. You can send this work to external bookkeeping services. You can also have your accounts payable person or part-time bookkeeper use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/legal\/technology\/legal-software\/accounting-software.html\">accounting software<\/a>, like Quickbooks, to create these documents.<\/p>\r\n<p>Of course, if your firm handles government contracts, you&#8217;ll want to rely on a more robust accounting system. Any company that does business with the Department of Defense is subject to audits from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dcaa.mil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Defense Contract Audit Agency<\/a> (DCAA). You must maintain strict financial records if you work for the federal government. You&#8217;ll likely have an accounting manager who handles only <a href=\"https:\/\/codes.findlaw.com\/cfr\/title-31-money-and-finance-treasury\/cfr-sect-31-542-522\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">federal contracting financing<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p>For more business loan and financing resources, visit<b> <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/finance-banking-forms-and-contracts.html\">Finance and Banking Resources<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<h3>Creating a Business Plan<\/h3>\r\n<p>You&#8217;ll need a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/starting-a-business\/creating-a-business-plan.html\">business plan<\/a> if you expect anybody to take your company seriously. Lenders and investors will want to see your plan before becoming involved with your company. If you&#8217;ve never created a business plan before, that&#8217;s OK. Findlaw offers several resources to help you do this.<\/p>\r\n<p>You can also hire a professional to help with your plan. As your company grows, you&#8217;ll want to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/starting-a-business\/contents-of-a-written-business-plan.html\">update your business plan<\/a>. For example, your target markets and your need for suppliers and distributors will grow as sales increase.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Credit and Debt Collection<\/h2>\r\n<p>Regardless of your business type, you&#8217;ll eventually extend credit. If you accept&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/legalblogs\/small-business\/small-business-credit-cards-what-could-go-wrong\/\">credit card payments<\/a>, you may face chargeback situations where a customer refuses to honor their payment. Or, if you allow customers to pay by check, you may experience bounced checks. When this happens, you&#8217;ll need to pursue debt collection activities to recover your losses.<\/p>\r\n<p>If you are in the habit of extending goods or services on credit, you&#8217;ll need to keep track of your accounts receivable. If you have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/legalblogs\/small-business\/is-your-accountant-liable-if-youre-audited\/\">staff accountant<\/a>, they can help track this for you. Most accountants and accounts receivable managers have years of experience overseeing debt collections.<\/p>\r\n<p>Sadly, unpaid debts add to the indirect costs of running a business. If customers and clients don&#8217;t pay their debts, you won&#8217;t be able to pay your workers and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/employment-law-and-human-resources\/hiring-independent-contractors-overview.html\">subcontractors<\/a>. Collection accounts have the potential to derail your operations, so you must know your rights as a creditor.<\/p>\r\n<p>Visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/credit-debt-collection-forms-and-contracts.html\">Credit &amp; Debt Collection: Forms and Contracts<\/a> for more information on this topic and sample credit collection forms.<\/p>\r\n<h3>Consumer Credit Laws<\/h3>\r\n<p>Various federal and state laws apply to credit transactions between businesses and consumers. Federal<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/federal-consumer-credit-laws-checklist.html\"> consumer credit laws<\/a> govern your ability to extend credit and collect unpaid debts. You should understand these laws before pursuing customers and clients who owe your firm money.<\/p>\r\n<p>The following <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/federal-consumer-credit-laws-checklist.html\">federal laws<\/a> govern your company&#8217;s credit and debt collection activities:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/corporate.findlaw.com\/business-operations\/important-information-about-the-fair-credit-reporting-act.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fair Credit Reporting Act<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/the-fair-debt-collection-practices-act.html\">Fair Debt Collection Practices Act<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/consumer\/credit-banking-finance\/equal-credit-opportunity-act.html\">Equal Credit Opportunity Act<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/complying-with-the-credit-practices-rule.html\">Credit Practices Rule<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/corporate.findlaw.com\/business-operations\/credit-and-your-consumer-rights.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Fair Credit Billing Act<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/truth-in-lending-act.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Truth in Lending Act<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Not only must you follow these laws for legal purposes, but you also want to do your best to maintain positive client relationships with suppliers, distributors, and other third parties.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Hiring a Small Business Attorney to Help with Accounting<\/h2>\r\n<p>For your business to be successful, you must keep a tight rein on your company&#8217;s finances. One way to do this is to staff an entire <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-taxes\/taxation-and-accounting-terms.html\">accounting<\/a> department. If that isn&#8217;t an option, you can use an outside accounting firm to help oversee your company&#8217;s financial health.<\/p>\r\n<p>If you have questions about accounting rules and regulations, contact an experienced <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/business-commercial-law?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">business lawyer<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Accounting Forms and Contracts Articles<\/h2>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/business-banking-and-securities-forms.html\">Business Banking and Securities Forms<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/credit-debt-collection-forms-and-contracts.html\">Credit &amp; Debt Collection: Forms and Contracts<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/business-finances\/finance-banking-forms-and-contracts.html\">Finance and Banking Resources<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"was-this-helpful\">\n    <div\n 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